Phineas Taylor Barnum Was Born
July 5, 1810
Barnum's most famous and profitable exhibit was Charles Stratton, a 25-inch-tall man whom Barnum promoted as General Tom Thumb. The exhibit drew 20 million people. Barnum even took Stratton to the White House, where the two of them met President Abraham Lincoln.

P.T. Barnum was over 60 when he and James Bailey created the "Greatest Show on Earth." You may know it as the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. There are all kinds of circuses you can go to today, although it is unlikely you will ever find another FeeJee Mermaid.